05-27-2024, 02:23 AM | #1 |
just an egg
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Dealing with Kindle ebooks in calibre
With the retirement of jhowell’s invaluable Dealing with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.19 (and later) and KFX in calibre, this thread is intended to serve as a new central place for discussion and investigation going forward for people who want to use Kindle ebooks with calibre.
First, you will need DeDRM v10.0.9 beta/RC or the alpha release. This will work on most (but not all) Kindle ebooks. (Some Kindle books come with extra-strength encryption that these tools cannot handle, etc.) If you have questions about installing, setting up, or using DeDRM, ask on GitHub. Detailed help on the aforementioned topics is not permitted on MobileRead. Once you have DeDRM v10.0.9 or later installed, the following methods can be used to obtain Kindle ebook files that work with calibre: Method 1: Download & transfer via USB To use this method, you must have a pre-2024 eink Kindle (not a Fire) registered to your Amazon account. IMPORTANT: Download & transfer via USB is NOT available with Kindles released in 2024: 12th gen Paperwhite (posts #2272 and #2277), 12th gen Paperwhite SE (post #235), 11th gen basic Kindle (post #2309) and Kindle Colorsoft (posts #197 & #198). Log in to your Amazon account, then: Account & Lists > Content Library > Books > [find the book you want] > More actions > Download & transfer via USB > [select an eink Kindle] > Download. You should receive an .azw3 (KF8) or .mobi file that you can import into calibre. Tip: If you want to convert to epub, consider using the KindleUnpack plugin, which unpacks the azw3 contents and repackages them into an epub. This often produces better results than converting to epub using calibre. Once you have the epub, you can manipulate it in calibre as you like. Note: There are some ebooks for which Download & transfer is not available, such as those in Kindle Unlimited, etc. Method 2a: Kindle for PC Current versions of Kindle for PC (starting with v 2.4.1 [70946] aka 2.4.70946 and later) do NOT work with calibre. However, Kindle for PC 2.4.0 (70904) aka 2.4.70904 is known to work with calibre for most (but not all) books, provided you have the KFX Input plugin installed.
Method 2b: Kindle for Mac Sadly, Amazon has killed Kindle for Mac 1.40.x, which previously worked with calibre for most books. Current versions of Kindle for Mac 7.x only work in an extremely limited fashion provided you have the KFX Input plugin installed.
Method 3: Old eink Kindle If you have an old eink Kindle (released in 2012 or earlier) running firmware older than v5.6.5, you can download ebooks directly to your Kindle ereader, then connect your Kindle to your computer via USB, copy ebooks directly from Kindle to computer, then import into calibre. (This does NOT work with Kindles released in 2013 or later running firmware v5.6.5 or newer.) More info on different Kindle models and their usefulness in obtaining ebooks that can be used with calibre from the invaluable jhowell: here Method 4: Kindle for Android on PC & Mac There has been some success running Android emulator software (available for both PC and Mac) to run older versions of Kindle for Android (4.17 and older) to obtain Kindle ebooks that work with calibre. See: DRM workaround: Kindle for Android Last edited by odamizu; 11-30-2024 at 02:07 AM. Reason: updated info |
05-27-2024, 01:53 PM | #2 |
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Kindle 1.35.0 for Mac
It's still possible to download Kindle 1.35.0 for Mac from amazon.co.uk by following this link and 'purchasing' it for £0:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MWT3C...=docs-os-doi_0 It worked fine for me on a M1 Mac running Sonoma, with the usual Calibre/DeDRM/KFX input plugin setup. Last edited by Rosales; 05-27-2024 at 01:56 PM. |
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05-27-2024, 02:35 PM | #3 |
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I just followed the link in the initial post to download the latest version of Kindle for PC, but I ended up with 2.3.70840, not 2.3.5.
If 2.3.5 is required could you point it out in the post and bring back a link on where to retrieve it? Thank you very much! |
05-27-2024, 03:38 PM | #4 | |
just an egg
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Quote:
Can anyone confirm whether Kindle for PC 2.3.70840 works or if 2.3.5 is required? I am a Mac user and rely on Windows users to provide the latest Windows info. Last edited by odamizu; 05-27-2024 at 04:18 PM. |
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05-27-2024, 04:18 PM | #5 |
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On my Windows PC, 2.3.5 (70840) works. I can download books, import them to calibre and convert them to other formats.
Last edited by DNSB; 05-27-2024 at 04:21 PM. |
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05-27-2024, 05:15 PM | #6 |
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My apologies for not checking more thoroughly! Kindle 1.35.0 for Mac doesn't work with post 2023 books.
Last edited by Rosales; 05-27-2024 at 05:16 PM. Reason: mistake |
05-27-2024, 05:58 PM | #7 |
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I confess that I did not install the downloaded version. Does this mean that the file that shows in the name 2.3.70840 is actually the correct version (2.3.5)?
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05-27-2024, 05:59 PM | #8 |
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05-27-2024, 07:11 PM | #9 |
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Yes, the version number is 2.3.5, the build is 70840. So another bug fix to 2.3.5 might show up as 2.3.5 with the build number changing to 71012. <= I invented that number and would be very shocked if it showed up as a real public release build number!
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05-27-2024, 08:07 PM | #10 |
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05-28-2024, 12:46 AM | #11 | |
just an egg
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Thank YOU, jhowell, for maintaining the original thread for over 7 years and for all of your work over the years unraveling Kindle formats and Kindle apps. You know so much more about all this than I do. I hope you will continue to share your knowledge in this and other threads.
Quote:
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05-28-2024, 09:13 AM | #12 | |
Laura
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@paola from previous thread:
Quote:
Last edited by lkmiller; 05-28-2024 at 09:21 AM. Reason: fix link |
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05-28-2024, 09:31 AM | #13 |
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If it really is a book of images, then it cannot be converted to KFX. The eBook shows Enhanced Typesetting as Not Enabled.
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05-28-2024, 03:37 PM | #14 |
just an egg
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Windows users: Is "the newer Kindle for PC app available in the app store for Windows 11" still a thing? Is it still helpful to reference this in the original post or is it sufficient to say the latest Kindle for PC app available directly from Amazon is the one you need?
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05-28-2024, 04:22 PM | #15 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
paola stated that the book was dated November 2021 so perhaps there is a mixup in the book involved. |
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